Learning Series

The Learning Styles Questionnaire

Learning style preferences determine the things people learn and the ease with which they learn them. They exert a hidden, but powerful, influence on learning effectiveness.

The Learning Styles element of the Learning Series highlights individual learning style preferences, equips people to choose learning opportunities, and shows them how to expand their repertoire and become the all-round learners vital to the success of your business.

The Learning Styles Questionnaire explores the four Honey and Mumford learning styles:

Activists - who are ‘hands-on’ learners and prefer to have a go and learn through trial and error

Reflectors - who are ‘tell me’ learners and prefer to be thoroughly briefed before proceeding

Theorists - who are ‘convince me’ learners and want reassurance that a project makes sense

Pragmatists - who are ‘show me’ learners and want a demonstration from an acknowledged expert.

Which Learning Styles Questionnaire is best for you?

There are two versions of the Learning Styles Questionnaire, the 80-item and the 40-item.

Advantages of the 80-item questionnaire

Ideal for people who want a more comprehensive questionnaire (i.e. 20 items per style instead of 10)

Better for a longer session where there is time to explore learning styles and the suggestions for
action in more depth

More appropriate for people who can relate to the business references

More likely to appeal to traditionalists who want to use the original Honey & Mumford questionnaire.

Advantages of the 40-item questionnaire

Ideal as an initial introduction for people who have not previously given much consideration to how they learn

Useful if time is at a premium - the questionnaire takes less time to complete and score

Helps people stay focussed - there are fewer suggestions for action to choose between

The wording is concise and better suited to a more diverse audience.

How it works

The user completes an online self-assessment questionnaire (a process that takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on the version) and receives an immediate diagnosis of his/her current learning style preferences. With these results, he/she also receives a tailor-made personal development plan. Built-in benchmarks enable the user to score him/herself against norms for different groups and he/she can compare his/her current results against previous results. Online links take the user to practical and digestible advice on implementing development suggestions and to related resources.